It is once again a great pleasure for me to address the Cape Town Press Club.
I shall spend a little more time today on the past than on the future ‐ because, at the age of 84, I have much more past than future ‐ and also because the past has become an increasingly contentious issue, not only for the present ‐ but also for the future.
This Heritage Day we are slowly emerging from the most immediate aftermath of Covid-19 and its devastating effect on our country, economy and people.
On this day -and in a country belonging to all its’ people – South Africans are encouraged to celebrate their culture, the diversity of their beliefs and traditions.
One of the most important aspects recognised in the Constitution of South Africa, is the importance of our collective heritage and the rich cultural, linguistic and historical landscape painting the canvas of our people’s diversity. The South African Constitution unambiguously speaks to this in its’ preamble: South Africa belongs to all who live in it – united in our diversity – in the wider context of a nation and country recognising the injustices of our past; honouring those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land as well as respecting those who have worked to build and develop our country.
In his dystopian novel “1984” George Orwell introduced us to the concept of “doublethink” – which he described as –
“…the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them… To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just as long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies – all this is indispensably necessary.”
We saw examples of doublethink in President Ramaphosa’s statement on Heritage Day last week.
The long-simmering crisis of farm murders has come to a head following the murder on 1 October of a 21-year-old farm manager Brendin Horner at a farm outside Paul Roux in the Free State.
Horner’s body was found tied to a pole and the 21-year-old had injuries to the face and neck.
Only two days later police arrested two suspects, Sekola Piet Matlaletsa and Sekwetje Isaiah Mahlamba, in a township near Paul Roux. Blood-stained clothes and shoes were found in their possession.
Every now and then a boil appears on the 26-year-old face of the New South Africa. One such boil erupted on 6 October in Senekal – and another earlier this week at Brackenfell High School in the Cape. These ugly eruptions may reflect more than just a passing hormonal imbalance: they could indicate a deeper underlying toxicity that might threaten the whole body politic.
My wife Elita and I would like to convey our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Adv George Bizos SC.
The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the decision of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to institute proceedings against the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Equality Court arising from comments posted in the social media on 14 September 2019.
PROPOSED ONLINE CENSORSHIP OF SOUTH AFRICA: DRAFT FILMS AND PUBLICATIONS AMENDMENT REGULATIONS
The South African Film and Publication Board (SAFPB) recently published the Draft Films and Publications Amendment Regulations for public comment. The Regulations – which would be promulgated under the Films and Publications Amendment Act 11 of 2019 (the FPAA) – will be administered by the Board – and apply to the sale, hiring and streaming of content on the internet and various other digital platforms in South Africa.
The Board of Trustees of the FW de Klerk Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Adv Jacques du Preez as the Foundation’s new Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1 September 2020. Adv Du Preez succeeds Dr Dayne Morkel – who left the Foundation in March to take up career opportunities in the United States.
Adv Du Preez (39) was educated at Centurion High School and holds an LLB degree from the University of Pretoria and a Master’s Degree (LLM) in Public Law from the University of Stellenbosch. He practised as an advocate and member of the Cape Bar from June 2007 until May 2011 – when he joined the Foundation’s Centre for Constitutional Rights as Operational Officer. During the following three years he made a valuable contribution to the CFCR’s activities – particularly in the areas of human rights monitoring, reporting and advocacy and in preparing submissions to Parliament and human rights bodies on draft legislation and human rights violations.
